In 2018, second-term Governor Roy Cooper issued climate-related Executive Orders, which was followed in 2019 by the state’s clean energy plan ...
On 17 February 2023, the People's Bank of China (PBoC) issued for public comments the Interim Measures for the Administration of Interconnection and Cooperation between the Interest Rate Swap Markets of the Mainland and Hong Kong (Draft for Comments)(the "Draft Swap Connect Measures"). The public comment period is open until 4 March 2023 ...
On February 17, 2023, China Securities Regulatory Commission ("CSRC"), as approved by the State Council, released new rules for the filing-based administration of overseas securities offerings and listings by Chinese domestic companies ("New Filing Rules"). The New Filing Rules signal a new era of unified filing system for overseas offerings and listings by Chinese companies. We have summarized below five key points of the New Filing Rules for your quick reference ...
The window for low-income service providers to take advantage of funds available through the Oregon Solar+ Storage Rebate Program is closing. Each year, 25 percent of the program’s budget is allocated to low-income and moderate-income homeowners and service providers. This year, the non-income-restricted funds have already been disbursed, and only low-income and moderate-income restricted funds remain ...
Hydrogen's potential to support the UK’s journey to net-zero depends in large part on how carbon-intensive the hydrogen we produce is. One of the challenges this presents is transparency. Much like electrons in a wire look the same (whether generated from coal or from wind), a hydrogen molecule looks the same whether produced by electrolysis powered by renewables or from carbon-intensive steam methane reforming ...
Hydrogen is often touted as the future of green industry, heating and fuels. It certainly has the capability to be just that, but there are many hurdles along the way to be overcome. In truth, while there are many methods to produce hydrogen, only four could potentially reach carbon zero ...
On February 7, 2023, the Division of Examinations of the United States Securities & Exchange Commission (“EXAMS”) published the 2023 Examination Priorities. Like previous years, the 2023 Examination Priorities provides certain data regarding the scope of the examination program and the growth of the investment adviser community ...
In some ways, the 2023 proxy season might be met with a sigh of relief as some extraneous factors impacting United States capital markets—such as the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict—have stabilized in terms of their increased effect. In that same vein, some changes that may have once been viewed as “trends” in disclosure are very much here to stay ...
The refinancing policies for listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges will be revised as a part of the full implementation of the registration-based stock issuance system reform, in addition to the reform of the IPO-related rules ...
The National Pension Commission (PENCOM) recently introduced a new category of fund which complies with sharia principles of investment. The Non-Interest Fund (Fund VI) permits pension contributors and retirees to choose the preferred investment portfolio they would want their pension contributions remitted to ...
Our support of the UK’s first official Hydrogen Week continues this week, bringing together stakeholders across the UK to celebrate and promote the role of hydrogen in reaching net zero (NZ). Michael Bennett, construction legal director at Shoosmiths, explores the topic of hydrogen and its current journey to achieving net zero. The number that has been front and centre of every environmental conference is 1.5C ...
The planning system has a key role to play in both facilitating and legislating for environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. In the final instalment of Shoosmiths’ planning video series, legal director Sam Grange and associate Eram Watson examine how the real estate industry and planning system is incorporating ESG ...
The exponentially rising hydrogen trend attracted not only hydrogen veterans to the World Hydrogen Congress in Rotterdam, but also the fossil fuel industry. Big oil giants, such as Shell and Total Energies, were major sponsors of the event and eagerly presented their new green ambitions on the showroom and the stage ...
On December 8, 2022, the Thailand Board of Investment (the “BOI”) issued 17 announcements (Announcement No. 8/2565 to No. 24/2565) aimed at developing a new economic model as part of its investment promotion strategy for the next five years (2023 – 2027) in accordance with the National Economic and Social Development Plan (Thailand 4.0). All announcements went into effect at the beginning of January 3, 2023 ...
Why is green hydrogen important and what is its role in energy transition? The UK’s first official Hydrogen Week takes centre stage this week, bringing together stakeholders across the UK to celebrate and promote the role of hydrogen in reaching net zero (NZ) ...
Overview A VASP will need: a licence (a "Part III VASP Licence"); and to be regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (the "Commission"). A Part III VASP Licence is required unless an exemption is available under the LCF Law or the "Notice with respect to the disapplication of the requirement to hold a licence under section 40 of the Lending, Credit and Finance (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2022" (the "LCF Notice") ...
On February 1, 2023, the China Securities Regulatory Commission ("CSRC"), the Shanghai Stock Exchange ("SSE"), the Shenzhen Stock Exchange ("SZSE"), and the Beijing Stock Exchange ("BSE") issued for public comments draft rules and regulations (the "Draft Rules") related to the registration-based stock issuance system. The Draft Rules mark the official launch of the full implementation of stock issuance reforms in China ...
When one instructs a painter to draw a portrait (no matter how detailed the instructions may be) the painter will always have discretion in executing the final product. Likewise, in investment funds, the investment manager is instructed to invest according to various rules and timeframes which are detailed in the investment strategy as approved by the competent financial regulator, but there will still remain investment discretion on how the investment strategy is executed ...
With the impact of climate change increasingly evident, it is no wonder that many consumers are endeavouring to make more environmentally conscious decisions in their day-to-day lives. Consumers’ focus to become more environmentally friendly often centralises around changes to their purchases of small, everyday goods such as food, toiletries and other household essentials ...
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) entered into force on July 1, 2020 replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that has been in force since 1994. The USMCA has a sunset provision providing that investors may continue using NAFTA’s dispute resolution mechanism for NAFTA legacy investments for up to three years after NAFTA’s termination, i.e., until June 30, 2023 ...
HSR Notice Thresholds Have Increased. On January 26, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced its revised annual threshold that determines whether companies may be required to notify federal antitrust authorities about a proposed merger or acquisition due to the size and value of the transaction. The Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act (Section 7A of the Clayton Act) requires parties to certain mergers and acquisitions to notify the FTC and U.S ...
With cybersecurity risks increasing and evolving moving into 2023, the federal government is taking steps to help secure our cyber infrastructure. The recent passing of the 2023 omnibus spending agreement included additional funds for a variety of federal agencies in order to strengthen our cybersecurity apparatus. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (“CISA”) received $1.3 billion for its cybersecurity programs. This is a $230 million increase over last year ...
There are less than 12 months until new mandatory biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements are enforced as part of the Environment Act 2021. The legislation will require all new developments in England (bar a few exceptions) to deliver at least 10 per cent BNG – impacting both commercial and residential developers. Although the Environment Act received Royal Assent in November 2021, secondary legislation is set to be introduced to enable the relevant provisions to take effect ...
On January 18, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) published a final rule (2023 Rule) revising the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) as used in the Clean Water Act (CWA). This 2023 Rule follows years of uncertainty as to the scope of CWA jurisdiction that has included nationwide litigation and multiple Supreme Court decisions ...
